Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

So how was your Christmas? Mine was great filled with loads of fun, lots of gifts and cartloads of happiness and love and we are all set to receive the new year with the same spirit. Last two weeks were super busy with pappu's holiday party and Christmas baking and then followed by his Christmas holidays. This week has been a rollercoaster ride, first it was pappu down with the flu and then it came down to me. Boy O Boy, how I wish I was resistant to the cold.
Its been simple rasam saadam for the past one week and only today did I make something yummy, something simple and something that reminded me of my mom, childhood and nagercoil.

Coming to this recipe, I made these for my son's Chirstmas party. The kids enjoyed these totally diving in head first into the frosting. I don't know what but there is something about carrot cupcakes and cream cheese frosting that makes it totally divine and irresistible. This recipe is a keeper and it makes the softest of the soft cupcakes and the smoothest frosting that pairs perfectly with these cupcakes.

Adapted from here ~*What U Need*~ All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cups Baking powder - 1/2 + 1/8 tsp Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon - 1/2 + 1/8 tsp Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp Ground cloves - a pinch Salt - 1/4 tsp Carrots - 1/2 lb, peeled and grated Granulated sugar - 3/4 cups Light brown sugar - 1/4 cup Large eggs - 2 Vegetable oil - 3/4 cup For the frosting: Cream cheese - 6 oz, not softened Unsalted butter - 4 tbsp, room temperatue Vanilla extract - 1/2 tbsp Confectioners' sugar - 2 cups How I Made it: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line one cupcake pan with paper liners. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt; whisk together and set aside. Add the carrots to the bowl with the dry ingredients and set aside. In a stand mixer, whip the sugar and eggs until light and frothy. Add the oil with the mixer at medium speed. Beat till the mixture is light. Stir in the carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Scoop evenly into the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for about 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan at least 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, add milk to bring to the desired consistency and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Serve with love!!!

So thats it Folks... With Love,
Vimitha
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Lemon Poppy Seed Sour cream pound cake

My first experience with a lemon pound cake was a failure. It was not good, it was artificial and there was this lingering aftertaste which just made me go yuck. I mostly withhold myself from buying cakes from the grocery but that single slice of lemon cake was so tempting and with that bright yellow color and speckles of lemon zest peeking out, I had to give in. And since it was a single slice I knew that it would not go to waste. But one bite and I knew that it was goner.

Something told me that that should not have been my first lemon cake. The all-time famous Starbucks lemon pound cake just didn't seem right and made me skeptical. I knew it had to be homemade for me to get the flavor profile in the cake right. This cake is what I have waited for in my life. Make this in winter and you will savor spring in very bite. Make it during spring and it will freshen and liven your senses. Make it anyday, for guests or family or friends or for yourself, it will elevate your mood right away.

~*What U Need*~ All purpose flour - 3/4 cup Baking soda - 1/8 tsp Salt - 1/8 pinch Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup, room temperature Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup Large eggs - 1, room temperature Lemon juice - 1/8 cup Lemon zest - 1/2 tbsp Sour cream - 1/4 cup For the glaze: Cream cheese - 2 oz, at room temperature Icing sugar - 4 tbsp Milk - 1 tbsp or as needed How I Made it: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a mini loaf and a small ramekin(just in case you have excess batter). Dust pan with flour and tap out the extra. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar gradually and beat for 5 minutes. Add the egg and mix until combined. Rub the lemon zest with 1 tbsp of sugar so that the sugar becomes fragrant and the zest releases its oils. Beat in lemon juice and zest mixture. Stir in the dry ingredients with a spatula. Finally, add the sour cream and fold it in to the batter. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for about 20 -25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Release the cake and remove it. Cool it completely on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar or glaze if desired. For the glaze, mix everything till smooth and pouring consistency. Place the cake over a wire and pour the glaze over. Allow to set.

Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

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Christmas Fruit Cake | Kerala Fruit Cake

I made this cake two days before Christmas, stored it carefully feeding it with rum every day and then on the D day, I shared it with friends, devoured it to hearts content and then totally forgot about it. Today when I was going through my food pics, I found this and I came to realize that I had missed posting this for Christmas. Well now that I have found it, I am not going to spare another moment to share this recipe with you. Its the best and just like all other christmas cakes it gets better and better. I have been following this recipe for the past 2 years but each time I use a different pan and do not flour it believing that the non stick coating would do its job but finally I would end up with the cake sticking to the pan. So this time I made it a point to grease the pan, line the pan with parchment paper and grease and flour the pan too. And look how neat and yummy the cake looks!!!

Recipe adapted from here ~*What U Need*~ For soaking the dried fruits Dry fruits - 1 1/2 cups ~ Raisins, dates, pineapple, apricot, cranberries, dried papaya, dates, almonds, cashews Rum - as needed (I used CaptianMorgans. U need to immerse the fruits completely in rum and then refill as and when you find the amount reducing) Caramel syrup - 2 tbsp (2tbsp sugar + 1 tbsp water) For Caramel Syrup to be used in cake Sugar - 3/4 cup Water - 2 tbsp Hot water - 6 tbsp For the cake: Butter - 1/2 cup, room temp Powdered sugar - 1 1/4 cups Eggs - 2, separated All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cups Baking powder - 1 tsp Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Salt - a pinch Coarsely powdered nuts - 1/2 cup(almonds and walnuts) Orange Zest - 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp Clove powder - 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp Jeera powder - 1/4 tsp Ginger powder - 1/4 tsp How I Made it: Heat 2 tblsp sugar with 1 tsp water on medium heat until the sugar melts and browns up. Take off the heat and carefully add the water and stir well. Atleast 2 weeks in advance , chop all the dry fruits and place them in an airtight container. Pour the rum on top of it, add the caramel syrup and allow to soak. On the day of baking, heat 3/4 cup of sugar with 2 tbsp water in a saucepan. The sugar will start melting. COntinue heating till the syrup turns brown or almost black in color. Take it off the stove and add the hot water and stir well. Allow to cool. Preheat oven to 350F and grease your cake pan. Sift together all the dry ingredients with the spices. Add the powdered nuts, mix well and keep aside. Beat the butter with powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolks one at a time and mix well until well incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients slowly and mix until combined. Add the Vanilla essence, orange zest and Caramel syrup and combine everything together. Strain the rum soaked fruits (save the rum), and coat the fruits with some all-purpose flour and add the fruits into the cake batter. Fold the fruits into the cake evenly. Beat the Egg Whites until soft peaks form, add powdered sugar and continue to beat until the peaks look stiff and glossy. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the cake center comes out clean. After taking the cake out from the oven, immediately pour 2-3tblsp of the saved rum over the cake. Allow the cake to cool for 15 mins and then flip the cake pan onto a wire-rack. Once cooled brush the sweet rum all over the cake. Keep the cake covered with aluminium foil/plastic wrap and brush the cake with more Rum everyday until you cut the cake.

Serve with love!!!

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Apple Crisp | Apple crisp with cake crumbs| Leftover recipes

If you are into cake decorating or if you are a frequent cake maker for friends and families and if you are like me who hates dumping that excess cake crumbs then you would also be hunting for recipes and ways to use them. I generally make cake pops and gift it to kids in my apartment but the last time I made some butter cake I had very little crumbs leftover which led me to browse for recipes. Since nothing got me interested, I started putting things together randomly and this happened. Its perfect served warm with a dollop of icecream and a shot of amaretto. Tip: You can replace the apples with berries, peaches or seasonal fruits of choice.

~*What U Need*~ Apples - 2, cored, sliced Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp Brown sugar - 2 tbsp Lemon juice - 1 tsp Cornstarch - 1/2 tbsp Salt - a pinch For the crumble Leftover cake - 1 cup Rolled Oats - 3 tbsp Butter - 1 tbsp, cut into chunks Sliced almonds - 2 tbsp How I Made it: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4-inch slices. Place apples in a large mixing bowl and toss with sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Pour into individual ramekins or a small baking dish. In another large bowl, mix together the oats and almonds. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, gently work in the cold butter until pea-sized lumps are formed. Toss in the cake crumbs. Top apples evenly with mixture and bake until apples are bubbly and topping is golden brown, about 45 minutes, rotating once halfway through cooking.

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

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Tres Leches Cake

Hi friends, how was your New year celebrations? Ours was good, we ate, we drank to the new year and then we had a potluck with friends. All together it looks like a pretty good start. But on the weather front, the temperatures have started plunging head first and we had a terrible snow storm two days back. And the temperatures are still dropping. So its been garam garam pakodas and bhajjis with cardamom chai for the past few days.

Coming to this recipe, I made this some time back when we met a friend for dinner. I wanted to try my hands on something new and this tres leches cake has been in my bucket list for a long time. We loved the cake so much that this has been fixed to be part of pappu's birthday party after his approval.

Prep Time: 45 min; Cook Time: 1 Hour; Serves: 12 ~*What U Need*~ All purpose flour - 1 cup Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Whole eggs - 5 Sugar - 1 cup, divided Vanilla - 1 tsp Whole milk - 1/3 cup Evaporated milk - 1 can Sweetened condensed milk - 1 can Whole milk - 1/4 cup For the frosting Heavy cream - 1 pint Sugar - 3 tbsp Fruit cocktail - 1 can drained Mandarins - 1 can, drained Maraschino cherries - 8-10, cut into halves How I Made it: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. Separate eggs. Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry. Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool. Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can. Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable. Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with fruits and cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

Serve chilled!!!

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ABC Cake | Apple Banana Carrot Cake | Breakfast Cake

Well if you are looking for a bake which incorporates fruits, veggies, nuts and very little fat, then look no more, for I have a very simple breakfast cake for you today. Its filled with carrots, apple, banana and uses only quarter cup of sugar. Slice them up, toast 'em with some butter and serve it with some freshly squeezed orange juice or freshly brewed coffee and you have a delicious, kid-friendly breakfast to serve. So lets move on to the recipe.

~*What U Need*~ Whole wheat flour - 1 cup All purpose flour - 1/2 cup Brown sugar - 1/4 cup, packed Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Cinnamon - 1 tsp Canola oil - 2 tbsp Egg - 1 Honey - 2 tbsp Sour cream - 2 tbsp Whole milk - 1/4 cup Vanilla - 1 tsp Carrots - 1 cup, shredded Apple - 1, shredded Bananas - 2, mashed Walnuts - 1/2 cup Cranberries - 1/4 cup, dried How I Made it: Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine carrot, apple, sour cream, oil, egg, milk and vanilla; stir well. Add the mashed bananas and mix gently. Add honey and mix well. In a large bowl, combine all purpose and whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir well with a whisk. Add the cranberries and walnuts and mix. Fold wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Spoon batter into a bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for about 40-50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely on a wire rack.

Slice and serve!!!

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Cake Balls | Basic cake balls

After making the lightning McQueen cake last week, I was left with a whole lot of cake crumbs... I didn't want to chuck them into the trash and that led me to browse for recipes. The top rated option was these cake balls. It is also one of the highly requested recipe from my son, ever since he saw one at Starbucks. And so I gave it a shot. Pappu totally loved it and he's been asking me to make some for his friends too. Its such an easy recipe and also makes for a great kid activity during the holidays.

~*What U Need*~ Sponge cake - 1 recipe, crumbled Buttercream frosting - 1 recipe Wilton candy melts - 1 bag Vegetable shortening - 1 tbsp Colored sprinkles -to garnish How I Made it: You can use box cake mix and frosting or just use your favorite tried and tested recipes. Cool the cake completely. Crumble the cake in a large bowl. Add the frosting little by little mixing it in as you go. What you are looking for is a firm texture. When you form a ball out of the dough it should be stiff with a little amount of moisture. Next, roll the mixture into balls of 1 oz size or 25gm by weight. Pop the balls into the freezer for an hour. When the balls are firm, melt the candy melts with the shortening in a double boiler. The chocolate should be smooth. Roll the balls in the chocolate. Tap to remove the excess chocolate. Place in a wax paper, top with some sprinkles and allow to set.

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Charlotte Russe | Chocolate Charlotte Russe ~ for our 5th!!!

We celebrated our 5th anniversary this month. Yeah 5 years with this man. I wouldn't say that life was perfect. We have had our fair share of fights and together moments and I would say fights triumphed over the latter. But it was those fights that brought us closer and intimate. Life with this guy is like a roller coaster ride. I am still learning something new but life with this guy is what makes me complete.

This anniversary I wanted to make something new and special, something that I had never tried before and this charlotte russe is everything that I needed to make the day special. It is light, it's creamy and it's delicious. Delicious in the sense mouth wateringly delicious and you would definitely crave for another slice. We kept most of the dessert to ourselves but then we started over-indulging and finally gave away half of it for friends. It is that good...

~*What U Need*~ For the genoise: Melted butter - 1 tbsp All purpose flour - 50 g Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp Salt - a pinch Eggs - 2, large Sugar - 60 g For the Mocha Bavarian Cream: Powdered gelatin - 11 g Cold water - 75 ml Egg yolks - 2 Sugar - 60 g Milk - 250 ml Vanilla extract - 1 tsp Instant coffee powder - 1 tbsp Bittersweet chocolate - 1 oz Heavy cream - 250 ml Simple coffee syrup: Boil 1/2 tbsp instant coffee with 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp water. Set aside to cool. Ladyfingers - 20 or to fit 8-inch springform pan. Chocolate shavings - to decorate How I Made it: Preheat oven to 180 C. Whisk the eggs and sugar. Place over a pan of simmering water and whisk till it is warm approx 5 mins. Take this egg in a mixer bowl and beat on high till cooled and triple in volume. The batter should leave a ribbon like trail when lifted out of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla. Sieve about a third of the flour and fold in. Repeat with the remaining flour in thirds. Take a spoonful of the mix and add to the melted butter and whisk well. Add this to the flour mixture and fold gently. Spoon into greased 8-inch cake pans and bake for 10-12 mins until they are slightly shrinking away from the tin. Cool for 5 mins in the tin then loosen the edges with a knife and transfer to a cooling rack. To make the mocha bavarian cream, soak the gelatin in cold water and let it bloom for 5 mins. Whip yolks and sugar until light and thick. Scald milk and slowly add it into the egg mixture, beating constantly. Cook this mixture over a pan of simmering water until it thickens slightly. Add vanilla extract and coffee powder and mix well to dissolve. Melt the gelatin on heat and add into the egg mixture. Let it cool in the fridge till half set, whisking every now and then to keep the mixture smooth. Whip cream to soft peaks, fold the cream into the half set egg mixture. Set aside. To assemble, line the springform pan with ladyfingers(I cut them into half), place one genoise on the bottom of the pan, brush with the coffee syrup generously, pour half of the bavarian cream and smooth the top. Place the second genoise on top and repeat with the steps. Decorate with chocolate shavings and place in the fridge to set for 2-3 hours. Slice and serve.

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